The Gosani Jatra of Jagannath Puri (an Odisha cult of Durga Puja)

Today I'm going to talk about one of the cults of Utkal Kshetra(Odisha). It is associated with Durga Puja. This cult is called "Gosani Jatra" or "Gosani Yatra". The word "Gosani" is one such word that carries diverse meanings; different intellectuals behold this differently. 

 First thing first, let's first understand the word "Gosani". According to some Odia scholars, the word 'Gosani' is derived from the Oriya word 'Gosamani', which simply means 'Aristocratic lady', the wife of the owner of a house or the paternal grandmother(Gosein maa).

Another meaning of this word is associated with the Royal tradition of Odia. In the royal families of Orissa, the prince and princess are called 'Jenamani' and 'Jemamani' respectively and the paternal great-grandmother is called 'Gosamani'. In this connection, it should be mentioned that the local people believed the Gosanis as the savior and nourisher of their locality, and therefore, during the Durga Puja festival, they use to worship Gosani images in their respective Sahis(Street).

Pt. Nilakantha Dash (1884-1967) was one of the most illustrious sons of Odisha, who appeared both in its political and literary arena at the most crucial period of its history when Odisha had no political identity on the map of Bharatvarsa, and Odia as a language was about to be extinct. He worked relentlessly for Odisha's recognition both politically and linguistically. In Utkal Pradesh he known as "Utkal Guru". He used to believe that the name 'Gosani' comes from 'Gosvamini' which means the female counterpart of Gosvami, the brahmin landlord (Gosein in Oriya). In several places, the word Gosvami has been used differently. If we consider this meaning as true then the word "Gosvami" has got two totally different meanings. The first one is associated with social norms and the second one is associated with Puranic Parampara of Sanatan Dharma. The first meaning means a brahmin landlord who has a vast wealth of cattle such as cows, bullocks, buffalos, etc. In this case, his wife is known as Gosvamini, who is likewise considered the Lord of these cattle. The second meaning of the word Gosvami is Mahadev who rides on the back of the bull Nandi. The word "Gosvami" is a Sanskrit word inherited in Bengali, Odia and Hindi, and many other languages of Bharatvarsa. In the Sanskrit language, the word simply means "Master of all senses".  So Gosvamini which is also a Sanskrit word associated with the feminine gender inherited in regional languages is considered Shakti of Mahadev which means Durga. The Puranic evidence behind this second meaning can be found in the 50th chapter of the 9th Skanda of Srimad Devi Bhagavatam, where Narayana Rishi to explaining the Durga Tatwa to Devrishi Narada.

Govami must be Devi Durga. I'm saying this because; in the Utkal Kshetra there is an age-old tradition since the Ganga period(1028-1434[35]). In that tradition, a 16 days long ritualistic ceremony is performed in every Shukla Paksha of Ashwin Hindu month. In that ceremony, Devi Durga and Madhava (Jagannath Mahaprabhu) worshiped together under the guidance of Vamachari methods. Together this ceremony is called DurgaMadhava worship. This tradition is unique to Odisha culture only. Madhava(Jagannath Mahaprabhu) dons Bhairava roopam and performs Vilas Leela with Devi Durga who is the personification of the Vimala Devi who recites inside Shree Mandir; in a separate Garbha mandir which is situated in between Garbha mandir of Bhagavati Mahalaxmi and Garbha Mandir of Jagannath Mahaprabhu. This fact is evident from the sculptures on the temple walls i.e., from the Pista of the Jagamohana of the Sun mandir at Konark and on the northern Bada of the Bhogamandapa of the Jagannath temple, Puri. In these representations, Sivalinga, Mahisamardini Durga, and Lord Jagannath are seen installed on a pedestal and worshipped by a king.

**Note:- Do not consider Devi Durga as Devi Parvati. Both of them are different. I'm talking about this from the point of view of Srimad Devi Bhagavatam. In the 50th chapter of the 9th Skanda of Srimad Devi Bhagavatam when Narayana Rishi talk about Devi Durga he exclusively mentioned that Devi Durga is the Shakti of Mahadev. Here the word "Shakti" means "Kundalini Shakti" not his wife. So, Devi Durga is Kundalini Shakti of Mahadev. That Kundalini Shakti of Mahadev manifested herself in the form of Vimala Devi in Utkal Kshetra to perform Vilas Leela with Jagannath Mahaprabhu.

So, till now I have provided four different meanings of the word "Gosani". It simply means "Aristocratic lady", "Paternal grandmother", "Lady landlord of the cattle", and "Devi Durga". Now, the word "Jatra" or "Yatra" means "Travel". Here this travel ends near Shree Mandir or Jagannath Mandir. In the region of Puri, many Gosanis with different names are worshiped. Utkal people consider them sisters of each other. Gosani is Devi Durga; the same Devi Durga with different names worshipped and on the day of Ashwin Shukla Paksha Ekadasi(11th day of Ashwin Shulka Paksha) visits the Singha Dwara of Shree Mandir. This travel is known as "Gosani Jatra" or "Gosani Yatra". Earlier, Gosanis used to visit the  'Dasahara Pada' of Jagannath Ballabha math. Names of the few most popular Gosanis are Kakudikhai Gosani, Barabati Gosani, Janhikhai Gosani, Sunya Gosani, Bhogajaga Gosani, Kantakadhi Gosani (Vanadurga), Naga.

The Mandala Panji is a chronicle of the Jagannath Mandir, Puri, Odisha. It describes the historical events of Odisha related to Jagannath Mahaprabhu and the Jagannath Mandir. The Madala Panji dates back to the 12th century. 

In this Mandala Panji, a record can be found about the first Ganga king Chodaganga Deva. The Mandala Panji describes- "Ye chudaganga deva betala sadhya. Kanya 13 dina krushna trayodasi gurubara dina naja besare asi Kataka madibasi raja hoila. Basudeva Bahinipati Mohapatra hoila. Jajapura Kataka prabesa hoila. Prathame rahile pachama kataka Baranasi hoi Odisa gosanimana Kilile. Se raja bhoga kale ba 66/ 2/2 dina". 

The overall meaning of the above Passage:- King Chodaganga Deva was a tantric expert and he arrested all the wicked goddess of Orissa by applying his tantric expertise and powers.

Many local people sometimes say that Gosani is a wicked female spirit. Bhootanath is another name for Mahadev who is the master of spirits, evil powers, and ghosts. So it is believed that these Gosanis are the Shaktis of Mahadev. In this regard, indirect evidence can be found in the Mandala Panji. In Jagannath Puri, it is believed that 'Kakudikhai (one of the Gosani)' is the supreme Goddess and the chief among the gosanis. She is considered the goddess Durga herself and the representative of Goddess Vimala outside Shree Mandir.

Pratima of these Gosanis followed the strict Odia Cultural sculpture model where Devi does not reflect slim figure, fineness, and plasticity, yet they have freshness due to their indigenous style of artwork, colour application, and decoration. Moreover, these Gosani images which are self-evolved in Puri culture, look vibrant with bold expression and vigour with a heavy body. At Puri, the faces of the Gosani figures are depicted in such a manner that gives an impression that Devi is closely watching Mahisasura and engaged in fierce fighting. Here in this case both Mahisasura and Devi look at each other with great concentration. It is evident from the straight eye contact between them unlike the images of  Kolkata and Cuttack where the face of Devi is generally depicted in a profile manner. Another feature of the Gosani images of Puri is that here the demon in most of the cases is depicted in theriomorphic form i.e., the head is of the buffalo and the body is of a human being. These Gosani images are more or less influenced by Mahisamardini sculptures found on the temple walls. Especially the theriomorphic form of the demon is profusely depicted in the Bhaumakara Mandir. 

For example:- the Mahisamardini images of Vaitala and Sisiresvara temples at Bhubaneswar. Here this form of the demon is made lively. The demon is seen completely overpowered by the goddess. It is to note that, the Gosani images are coloured with primary colours and built-in typical Orissan style. Here yellow colour is applied to the Devi and blue/green colour is applied to the demon. The decorations of these figures are also interesting like the images which are also indigenous in nature and arranged with sola and jari work. The crown, ornaments, attributes, and halo are made of sola and jari which double the beauty of these images. Interestingly, after colour application, the artists draw a 'Devi Yantra' on the chest of the image and cover it by cladding new clothes around the body of the goddess. Like Gosanis, gigantic images of Naga are also made and worshipped during the Durga Puja festival. These large male images symbolize heroism and valour. According to some scholars 'Nagas' are one of the Saiva sects set up by Jagadguru Srimad Sripad Adi Sankaracharya. The sadhus of this Naga sect besides being Siva worshippers also practice wrestling and in old days were instrumental in defeating Buddhists. In the medieval days they played a great role by resisting Muslim aggression in Puri. Moreover, the Naga images represent the Jaga-Akhada culture of Puri.

 

Now the description of a Few popular Gosanis

✓Kakudikhai Gosani:- She is regarded as the chief among the Gosanis of Puri and is worshipped at Baniapati in Balisahi. As the name suggests, a cucumber is sacrificed in front of Devi and offered to her. But this custom is now extinct. Devi Kakudikhai is regarded as the representative of goddess Vimala outside Srimandira. In her shrine animal sacrifices were performed during the night of Mahastami. Here Devi is ten-handed and holds a shield, conch, bow, snake, and the hairs of Mahisasura in her left hand while she holds a Trishul, sword, wheel, arrow, and goad. Here the goddess places for left foot on the shoulder of Mahisasura and her right foot on her vahana the lion. She is seen flanked by goddess Sarasvati, Laksmi, Ganesha, and Karttikeya. The demon is seen coming out from the decapitated body of the buffalo as found in the stone images of the Somavamsi period, i.e. 9th-11th century A.D.

✓Barabati Gosani:- Perhaps she is the biggest clay Mahisamardini figure made during the Durga Puja festival in Puri. She is regarded as the second Gosani among the local people. The image of this gosani is built annually by the initiative of the members of the Barabati Jaga and therefore, the Gosani is so named. The height of this colossal Gosani is near about 20 feet in height. She has eight arms and displays a snake, conch, dagger, bow, arrow, sword, and trident. The demon Mahisasura is depicted in the theriomorphic form and treated lively. Iconographically Barabati Gosani is older than the Kakudikhai Gosani, who is ten-armed and the demon is depicted in the anthropomorphic form. The artists use primary colours like hingula, sankha, geru and lamp black for colouring the deity.

✓Janhikhai Gosani:- There are four places at Puri associated with rishis such as Angira Ashrama, Bhrugu Ashrama, Kandu Ashrama, Markandeya Ashrama at Dolamandapa Sahi, Bali Sahi, Goudabada Sahi and Markandesvara Sahi respectively. Near these four Ashramas, there are mandapas where Gosani images are made annually. It is noteworthy that, they are all known as 'Janhikhai' except the Gosani at Dolamandapa Sahi who is known as 'Janhimundia'. The image of 'Janhimundia' is the second biggest in Puri after Barabati Gosani. The height of her image is 16 feet 16 inches. Here the goddess has ten hands and displays her usual attributes. The demon here is depicted in complete human form. Interestingly she is worshipped in the 'Bhubaensvari mantra'. Besides this, there are two other 'Janhikhai' images, one at Bali Sahi and the other at Gaudabada Sahi used to be made during Durga Puja.

✓Sunya Gosani:- The peculiar image of Sunya Gosani displays the war between goddess Durga and Mahisasura in the sky. Here Devi is eight-handed. It is said that in old days the height of this Gosani was equal to the height of 'Aruna Stambha'. On the lower portion of this Gosani image hills, forests, and wild animals can be seen, which presents the bird's eye view of the earth's surface from the sky.

✓Bhogajaga Gosani:- During the rule of the Bhoi king Gajapati Ramachandra Dev, a mandapa was built for the offerings to the moving deities of Srimandira. In Oriya offering means 'Bhoga'. The 'Akhada' near this mandapa is known as 'Bhoga Jaga Akhada' due to this. The name of the Gosani of this Jaga is also known as 'Bhogajaga Gosani'. In Puri, she is regarded as the third Gosani. The height of this image is ten feet. The goddess has eight hands in which she holds several attributes. Like Barabati Gosani, here the demon is depicted in the theriomorphic form. This image is famous for its traditional style and fine decorations in sola.

✓Kantakadhi Gosani (Vanadurga):- The image of Kantakadhi Gosani is a peculiar one, as she is standing by one of her legs. The other one is bent and Bhagavan Vishnu (An Avatar of Jagannath Mahaprabhu) is depicted removing the pin from this bent foot of the Devi. On the other side, Mahadev is seen standing. She is well known in the texts as 'Vanadurga' (Durga of the Forests). Here the Mahisasura is absent. The very image symbolizes the peaceful coexistence of Shakta Parampara, Vaisnava Parampara, and Shaiva Parampara.

✓Naga:- As earlier said the image of Naga represents the age-old Jaga Akhada culture of Puri. According to some scholars, Nagas are one of the Saiva sects who besides worshipping, also practiced bodybuilding and wrestling. To memorize this old tradition huge figures of Nagas are used to be made in different places of Puri (especially in 'Akhadas'). Among the Naga figures the Naga of Bali Sahi and Harachandi Sahi are old and famous in Puri's local culture. These type of huge clay images of Naga are indigenous to Puri and not seen anywhere. The huge figure of Naga (near about twenty feet) resembles like that of a human being standing in the manner of a hero with a well-built body. He is seen dressed in the manner of a medieval warrior which is akin to that of 'Nagarjuna Vesa' (an attire of Jagannath Mahaprabhu). He is also seen wearing a loin cloth and tiger skin around his chest. A masal (torch) and a gun can be seen in his right and left hands respectively. On his waist portion, several weapons like a shield, dagger, and knife are placed. He wears a rosary around his neck. On the back portion of the figure, a bamboo mat can be seen which is tied to his body. His face consists of big round eyes, a sharp nose, a curly mustache, and a beard, a beautiful heavy headgear adorns his head. On the top of this headgear, a lotus flower of sola can be noticed. It is to note that, some people relate this Naga with Naga sadhus of North India who also attired like these figures. 

Besides Gosanis and Nagas, other clay figures such as the bird Sampati with monkies, Panchamukhi Hanuman, Ravana lifting Kailasa mountain, ghosts, and figures of old man and woman are also made during the 'Durga Puja' festival every year which reflects the strong folk culture in its full vigour. Till now these small but important images are part and parcel of the 'Gosani Yatra' tradition of Puri.

Jai Jagannath

Radha Radha